The Kansas City Wizards (9-9-6, 33 pts), entrenched in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race, complete the three-game regular-season series with the Columbus Crew (6-8-10, 28 pts) Saturday at 7 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium in a game broadcast nationwide on HDNet. Kansas City should be at full strength for the match, with no suspensions or major injuries. The Crew, however, will be without playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto and right back Frankie Hejduk due to yellow card accumulation.
Saturday's match is a crucial six-pointer. A Kansas City win would leave them eight points clear of Columbus in the playoff race while a loss would pull the Crew within just two points of the Wizards. The Wizards currently occupy the 7th seed in the playoff hunt and Chicago occupies the 8th and final spot, just one point ahead of the Crew. A loss would place Kansas City in a tight race with those two squads for the final two playoff positions, while a win would further distance them from the bottom teams and put them into a battle with Red Bull New York for the 3rd seed in the East.
Kansas City and Columbus have split two previous meetings, with the Wizards capturing a last-minute 1-0 victory at home on May 5 through a Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. blast in the 90th minute. Columbus secured a 2-1 home victory June 20 that, at the time, was seen as a major upset. Since then, both teams have experienced similar runs of results.
The Wizards will look to forward Eddie Johnson, midfielder Davy Arnaud and playmaker Carlos Marinelli for offensive opportunities and midfielder Kerry Zavagnin and defenders Nick Garcia and Jimmy Conrad to anchor the defense. Columbus will need forward/midfielder Eddie Gaven, forward Alejandro Moreno and midfielder Ned Grabavoy for an offensive spark with Schelotto absent and defender Ezra Hendrickson and former Wizards goalkeeper Will Hesmer for defensive stability while Hejduk sits out.
With a start in the match, Wizards defender Nick Garcia will surpass former playmaker Preki for the club's all-time appearance lead. Saturday's game will be his 219th (all starts) since joining the Wizards in 2000 as a rookie out of Indiana. He played every minute of every game that year alongside current Technical Director Peter Vermes as the rebuilt squad captured the MLS crown. Earlier this year, Garcia surpassed Preki's career mark for minutes played in Kansas City and is intent upon furthering both numbers and solidifying his place in team history. The organization is planning a small ceremony recognizing Garcia during pre-game festivities.
The Kansas City Wizards Reserves face the Columbus Crew Reserves for the second time this season at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Wizards Swope Park Training Center. The game is open to the public. Columbus beat the Wizards Reserves 1-0 May 5 in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader.
